


Of friends and something more

by notnormalalert



Category: Supergirl
Genre: Alternate Universe - All Female, Disaster Gays, Doctor AU, F/F, Football | Soccer Player Kara Danvers, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, SuperCorp, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:48:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notnormalalert/pseuds/notnormalalert
Summary: Just like that, something clicked in her mind. The woman was Kara Danvers, the soccer player. That’s why Lena thought she had seen her before, because she actually had – on TV.How did I not recognize her before? And why was she staring at me?Lena was so lost in her head that she nearly jumped when she heard a voice speaking to her.“Nice save back there.”She recognized that voice, and it belonged to the very person she had been thinking of. Lena turned to face the woman and tried to collect herself, pretending not to be the starstruck idiot she actually was.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers
Comments: 26
Kudos: 173





	1. Chapter One

Lena never thought much about life - unless she was trying to prevent it from becoming death.

To be fair, that was literally her job. Saving lives was the thing she did every single day. She told people that that was the reason behind her career choice, but Lena just really liked looking at brains. Not that she’s insensitive or anything, but she wasn’t born to be a hero; all she wanted was to look at brains, hang out with her friends and watch soccer (Lena also wanted a wife, but that’s not something she was willing to admit to anyone because it would make her look soft).

Every week Lena did exactly those three things: she went to work and looked at brains, then met her friends at the bar across the street to watch soccer together. The fourth thing she chose to ignore. It would be incredibly naïve of her to believe that she needed to be completed. No, she was her own woman and was perfectly happy just like that.

As it was a recurring event, every time one of their favorite teams played, Lena and her friends met at the bar and sat on the same seats, at the same table – right in front of the enormous TV. It might seem tedious when you put it like that, but it made her happy.

Lena’s seat was beside a brunette named Sam. Lena and Sam had been best friends since… well, always. They’d known each other their whole lives; they grew up together, went to the same college and even worked at the same hospital. Sam was the one person by her side throughout her life and saying that they had ever gone more than two weeks without seeing each other would be an exaggeration.

I know what you’re thinking. ‘This is so cliché! Lena and Sam are best friends and will realize they have been in love with each other all along!’ Yeah, well, this is not that kind of story.

Or is it?

At the end of a particularly harsh day’s work, Lena rushed to the bar in hopes of getting there before the game started. Upon her arrival, she noticed Sam had already ordered her a drink. The game was about to start and everyone was chatting excitedly about the players – the ones they liked, the ones they didn’t, and, most importantly, the ones they thought were hot. The thing about soccer players that drove Lena crazy was their energy; they had a little _je ne sais quoi_ that made them especially attractive – which made watching soccer a lot more fun.

After finishing her drink, Lena went down to the bar and ordered another, scanning the room as she waited. Her eyes met those of a beautiful woman standing a few feet away. She was tall and lean, golden hair cascaded down her back and a black hat covered her head. She seemed familiar, but Lena couldn’t tell why, especially in those dimmed lights.

The bar filled with cheers as the Lionesses scored the first goal of the match, snapping Lena back to reality. She briefly joined the cheer and turned her attention back to the spot the woman was in, only to find it empty. After getting her drink, Lena returned to the table and sat down next to Sam, who had her eyes glued to the screen.

“Dude, did you see that goal?” Sam asked excitedly.

“Yeah, it was a really nice one.” Lena answered as she screened the place for the woman.

Sam noticed Lena wasn’t paying attention and asked “Who are you looking for?”

“What? No one!”

“Yeah, right. Maybe you _should_ look around and see if you can find yourself a woman. You’ve been insufferable lately.” Sam raised her eyebrows in an expression Lena knew all too well and took a sip of her beer.

“I have not!” Lena replied, punching Sam’s shoulder.

“Whatever you say, Lena.” Sam turned her attention back to the game and started ranting about some player she swore she was meant to marry.

Sam was like a force of nature, moved by random outbursts of energy that just seemed to hit her all at once. She was completely insane and most of the time all that energy translated into talking. She was always talking and if there was nothing for her to talk about, she would find something. All of that played nicely when met with Lena’s complete lack of energy. Sam had enough for the two of them and was more than happy to fill the silence Lena tended to create.

Lena let her eyes wander while Sam talked. The game had just ended and people were resuming their usual bar activities, engaged in loud conversations.

Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. The woman from earlier was staring at her and smiled when Lena met her gaze. She was sitting a few tables over, with her arm stretched out over the empty chair next to her. Lena could tell she was extremely beautiful even though the hat she wore covered half her face.

The woman stood up and started to move in Lena’s direction. Was she going over to talk to her? Butterflies flooded her stomach in expectation.

When the woman was almost there she stopped to answer her phone. Her face collapsed in annoyance, then she turned around and walked out of the bar.

Well, that was disappointing. Lena didn’t like flirting and she hated it when strangers came up to her in bars. But something about that woman was different. It felt right that she was coming over, like they were supposed to meet.

That was stupid. There was no such thing as fate or anything like that. It was probably just her tipsy brain daydreaming. So she shifted her focus to Sam’s chatter, trying to get a sense of what it was that she was talking about.

Lena caught herself thinking about the mystery woman the next day. Wondering what she would have said if her phone hadn’t rung. Thinking about how stunning she was and trying to picture what she looked like in better lighting and without the hat covering her face. She caught herself searching for her in the crowds when she walked down a street and even at the bar that night.

It didn’t matter and she knew it. What were the odds of running into her again? And even if it happened, what difference would it make? It’s not like Lena would just go to her and start a conversation. It’s not like it would change her life.

“You’re looking for someone again.” Sam commented.

Lena didn’t answer this time. It was true, she was looking for someone, but saying so meant explaining who it was and why it mattered, and that was something she couldn’t do. She didn’t have an explanation, so she said nothing.

A loud thud caught her attention - it sounded like someone punching the table behind her. Odd, but not too much, she was at a bar after all.

People started to get restless behind her and she heard someone wheezing. That was not good. She turned around and saw a woman clutching her throat, her mouth was red and there was a plate of fried shrimp in front of her. Fuck.

In a few seconds Lena was standing in front of the woman, Epipen in hand, talking as fast as she could before sticking the pen in her thigh. She called the emergency services and ordered an ambulance, then stayed with the woman until it arrived a few minutes later.

Not your usual night out at the bar, but not that big a deal to a group full of doctors. The conversation started to flow again after being interrupted by the commotion and Lena’s eyes wandered.

There she was. The blonde from the night before was staring at her again, and this time without the hat. She was, indeed, stunning, embedded with an energy that Lena couldn’t quite describe, similar to the one soccer players exuded that made them so appealing.

Just like that, something clicked in her mind. The woman was Kara Danvers, the soccer player. That’s why Lena thought she had seen her before, because she actually had – on TV.

Lena finished her drink in one large gulp and announced to the group that she was going to get another one. Sam looked at her with curious eyes, probably noticing that something strange had just happened. Before she could say anything, Lena was already at the bar, ordering another dry martini.

_How did I not recognize her before? And why was she staring at me?_

Lena was so lost in her head that she nearly jumped when she heard a voice speaking to her.

“Nice save back there.”

She recognized that voice, and it belonged to the very person she had been thinking of. Lena turned to face the woman and tried to collect herself, pretending not to be the starstruck idiot she actually was.

“Uh, thanks. No big deal, really.” She shone a shy smile, fighting the urge to look at anything but the gorgeous woman standing in front of her.

“No big deal? You saved that woman’s life!”

“Yeah, it’s kinda what I do.” Lena hoped she didn’t sound like an idiot or a cocky bastard by saying that.

“What do you mean? Are you, like, a doctor or something? Maybe a superhero?” Kara Danvers looked amused by her own question and definitely intrigued by the answer.

“Doctor. I work at the hospital across the street.”

“Oh wow. Beauty and brains. Say you can hold your liquor and you’re the perfect woman.” She joked, making Lena chuckle.

“Here you go.” The bartender set the drink in front of them.

“See you around.” Lena took a sip and winked at Kara before walking away.

“See ya, doc.” She heard Kara say.

A smile grew on Lena’s face and did not disappear until she reached her spot. She sat down and attempted to rejoin the conversation, but her eyes and her mind continued to drift towards Kara, who caught her every time, holding her gaze.

“Okay, spill.” Sam said suddenly, snapping her attention back to the group.

“Huh?”

“Who was that woman you were talking to by the bar? The one who got you all smiley and shit.” Sam motioned to her face, in a dramatic way to get her attention.

“I’m not smiley, this is my face.” She retaliated, a little offended even though Sam wasn’t technically wrong.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Sam elbowed Lena to get her point across.

“If you must know, she just commented on me saving that woman earlier. No big deal.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, right.” Sam squinted her eyes, unconvinced. “If that was all, why were you so smiley and distracted?”

“I’m not.” Lena insisted. “I’m just having a good time.” She sat up straight to look at the menu and changed the subject. “Now help me pick an appetizer.”

“Smooth, Luthor.”

“Shut it, Arias.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena goes on a blind date.

Lena was not a morning person. Waking up early was the thing she hated the most about her job. She didn’t mind all-nighters; staying up until the sun was out had its beauty. In fact, her favorite time of the day was when night turned into morning and the world was asleep. But the actual morning? Worst part of the day.

Sam, on the other hand, was an every hour of the day person and didn’t really pay much attention to when she did things, as long as it was when she wanted to do them. Often that ended up being at very inopportune hours, much to Lena’s despair.

When Lena’s phone rang at 7:30 on a Saturday, she knew exactly what it meant – Sam had been up since the ass crack of dawn and wanted to make plans for the day. It was at times like this that she seriously considered giving up technology and living life as a hermit (although that probably wouldn’t help because leave it to Sam to find a way).

“What do you want?” She finally answered. She wanted to make sure Sam knew how inconvenient she was being.

“Well, good morning to you too. You’re coming to lunch with me today. Noon. At Gino’s.” Sam stated, not waiting for an answer. Typical.

“Don’t I get a say in this?”

“Absolutely not. You’d just say you can’t make it and we both know that’s a lie. Don’t stay in bed too long, I’ll be waiting.” Sam immediately ended the call, not giving Lena the chance to protest any further.

That sort of thing happened way more often than Lena would like. She didn’t mind being bossed around by Sam sometimes. She knew that if things were left up to her, she would never do anything fun and would just end up sitting on the couch or baking all day. The bad thing was that it usually meant waking up early on a weekend.

After a frustrated attempt to go back to sleep, she got up and decided to make coffee. If she had to be up this early, at the very least she would drink lots of coffee.

Her mind started to wander while waiting for the water to get hot enough. It wandered to the mesmerizing blonde form the bar. Kara Danvers. She got hit on by Kara Danvers and it still didn’t feel real. She wondered if they would meet again. Probably not. I mean, what were the odds of that happening? It didn’t matter anyway, it’s not like they actually knew each other.

Thinking turned into curiosity. She followed Kara Danvers on social media, but she’d never actually cared that much about what was going on there. Now she had a reason to, so she got her phone and started scrolling. It wasn’t very enlightening, she didn’t post much. But the little she did post was really something. Of course she looked good in just about anything.

That was pointless. What was she doing again? Oh, right. The coffee. Making coffee was better than thinking about a gorgeous soccer player she met at a bar. Coffee was tangible.

Mornings were a drag. They took forever to go by no matter what Lena did. In the hospital it wasn’t so bad – the fluorescent lights and the absence of windows in the surgical center made the hours blend together and mornings went by faster. But being in her apartment with nothing to do except wait for lunch time did the exact opposite. That’s why she slept until noon whenever she was home for the day.

Eventually noon did come and she left to meet Sam at the restaurant. Gino’s was an Italian cantina they went to regularly since they were kids. The owner, Gino, was a friend of Lena’s parents who helped them get settled in the city when they first moved there. Lena was just a baby back then, so she grew up in that place, and when she and Sam became friends early on, they started going together. It became a safe haven, a place where they would go whenever things were tough or they simply wanted a familiar place to chill.

Lena quickly spotted Sam, sitting with two glasses of wine in front of her.

“I hate you.” She flopped down on the chair.

“You love me.” Sam replied in the bat of an eye. This was a normal exchange for them, to the point where they didn’t even have to think before replicating it.

“True, but right now I hate you.”

“Why don’t you have a glass of wine and maybe you’ll calm down?” Sam took a sip of her own glass and motioned for Lena to do the same.

“You have got to stop talking in the form of old memes.” She complained, but obliged. She actually did want that wine. Maybe it would get her head away from a certain brunette.

“If it works, it works.” Sam shrugged.

“It doesn’t.” The last thing Sam needed was encouragement when it came to using memes in her everyday life.

The walls were covered in pictures, old and new, of the owner’s family and of the regular customers. There were quite a few of the two of them, dating back to when they were children, celebrating big moments of their lives. A particular image caught Lena’s eye, right above Sam’s head.

“Remember that one? Our last day of high school. We ate so much we could barely walk out of here.” The memory brought a smile to her face.

“We always eat that much when we come here.” Sam commented, taking a brief look at the picture.

“Not true. Sometimes we eat a regular amount.” Which was already more than the expected for two people their size. “And end up drinking a lot of wine.”

The comment made them both chuckle. They really did eat and drink a lot whenever they went there. A growl coming from Lena’s stomach ended their trip down memory lane.

“I’m starving. Pass me the menu.”

“No need. I already ordered you lasagna. I knew you’d be hungry when you got here.”

“What if I wanted something else? I don’t but I could!” Lena pouted. She loved it that Sam knew her so well, but she liked to complain. Since she was complaining, she should probably find out why she was even there in the first place. “Was there a reason why you wanted to go out for lunch or did you just want to wake me up and ruin my morning?”

“As much as I enjoy waking you up, this is serious.” Sam straightened her posture, took Lena’s hand between her own and looked at her dead in the eyes.

“Doubt it, but spit it out already, you drama queen!” She was used to the flair but she had been up doing nothing all morning.

“You need to get laid.”

Lena closed her eyes and sighed loudly. She already knew that and Sam had already mentioned it a thousand times. There was no way in hell this was a good reason to have been woken up at that ungodly hour. That would not go by unnoticed.

She kicked Sam’s shin. “That was for waking me up for a stupid reason. Also, it’s none of your business.”

“It absolutely is my business. It’s my duty as your best friend to make sure you’re taken care of.” Sam tried to look as though that was everything, but Lena knew better. “Also you haven’t dated in forever and I know someone who’s available.”

“Available? That’s your criteria?” Of course that’s what this was. Sam could never help herself when it came to setting her up with people.

“What? You don’t have to marry her, just see where it goes. Even if it’s just the bedroom.” Sam looked awfully proud of herself, with a smirk on her face that only surfaced when she thought a terrible idea was actually great.

“Remind me why I’m friends with you again?” Lena whined.

“Because you love me and I’m amazing.”

“Yeah, that can’t be it.”

~

Dating was the worst. How some people actually enjoyed it was beyond Lena’s understanding. How was she supposed to have a good time when she was busy worrying what some other person thought of her? All of it just sucked.

The torture started when it was time to get ready. She knew nothing about this friend of Sam’s except that her name was Jane and she was a geologist. What should one wear on a date with a geologist?

Lena had no idea what to wear. She didn’t have that many clothes to choose from to begin with, and the little she had was considered by most ‘not appropriate for wearing in public’ whatever that meant. She ended up opting for something simple: black jeans and boots paired with a blue top that flashed some cleavage. She knew her body. If all else failed, the girls could do the job.

As it turned out, dating was even worse than she remembered. The whole getting to know each other and asking questions you didn’t actually want to know the answer to was Lena’s worst nightmare. Meeting new people sucked – especially when they wouldn’t shut up about rocks.

Jane was… interesting, to say the least. She was actually cute, not Lena’s type but still good looking. She wasn’t problematic, didn’t say the wrong things or do anything particularly annoying, yet Lena couldn’t wait to get out of there.

She hated being bored, trapped in a conversation over something she knew nothing about – and that was exactly the case. Jane was really passionate about her career as a researcher in some geology field Lena couldn’t remember. Her job must have had something to do with lava, since that’s all she’d been talking about since they got past the ‘where did you grow up and how many siblings do you have’ part of the conversation.

Lena tried to pay attention, she really did, but she just couldn’t help it. Paying attention to people talking was never something that came easily. Her mind was all over the place, trying to find something to anchor her to that moment instead of going to daydream land. She thought about the sushi in front of her, the fish in the large tank by her side, the way the light hit Jane’s hair making it look like two different colors. Nothing captured her interest enough to make the moment bearable.

Except maybe one thing.

In one of her many sweeps of the scenery, Lena’s gaze was captured by a set of blue eyes and she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. The mighty Kara Danvers. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Running into her that may times had to mean something (not that things had a grand meaning in the universe). Either way, it did give her an idea.

It may not have been the brightest idea, but desperate times and all. Trying to be as discreet as possible as to not alarm Jane, Lena widened her eyes at Kara and pointed her head towards the bathroom. She probably looked like a lunatic, but there was no time to think. If she thought about it she would chicken out and have to sit through another hour of lava talk.

She excused herself and flashed Jane a fake smile before meeting Kara’s eyes again and holding her gaze until she reached the bathroom.

Lena stood there, grabbing the edge of the sink as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, hoping Kara had, indeed, understood the message and was on her way. Of course, there was no reason for her to do such a thing since they only talked for like five minutes at a bar once, but hoping never hurt anyone.

She was about to give up and accept her doom when the door opened to reveal a very puzzled Kara.

Lena had forgotten how captivating Kara’s presence was up close, how she demanded attention without really doing anything.

“Hey.” Kara said, carefully. “What’s going on?”

“So, um, I know we don’t really know each other and I feel so stupid asking you this.” Lena rubbed her face before continuing, aware that she would probably sound like a crazy person. “But I’m on a blind date and it isn’t going well, like _at all_ , and I saw you and I thought maybe you could bust me out?” She blurted out the words, looking for a sign in the woman’s eyes that gave her any indication of what she was thinking.

“So the superhero doctor is in need of saving?” To her surprise, Kara looked amused by the idea and had a wide grin on her face. “Okay.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, sounds like fun.” Kara leaned against the sink, crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. “There’s just one problem.”

Lena’s face fell and she started to worry. She had not thought this through.

“I still don’t know your name.”

“Oh.” Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. “I’m Lena.”

“Okay, Lena. I’m Kara.” She said, still looking very amused by the idea. “Now let’s do this. Go back to your date; I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just follow my lead.” Kara winked and walked out, leaving Lena alone in the bathroom again.

She couldn’t believe that actually worked (at least in theory, anyway). Sometimes not thinking paid off. She should not think more often, just do whatever went through her mind. But that was something to consider at another time. Now was the time to go back, smile at Jane and pretend everything was fine.

That last bit was made harder by the fact that Jane somehow circled back to talking about lava again. How was that possible? Lena had asked her what her favorite food was. She said lava cake. And started talking about fucking lava. Again. Ugh. Where was Kara?

Lena spotted her at her own table, quite immersed in conversation. It didn’t look like she was about to leave anytime soon. Of course she wouldn’t. Why would she? It was a stupid and reckless idea. Maybe there was a reason for the whole ‘thinking things through before doing them’ logic. Kara was probably telling people about the crazy lady she talked to in the bathroom.

It was worth a shot, but now all she had left was accepting that she would leave tonight knowing a lot of things she didn’t want to know about lava.

“Lena?” She heard Kara call. It wasn’t the same sweet voice she had used in the bathroom. Her voice was bitter, filled with emotion and anger.

“Kara!” She blurted out, more out of relief than anything else.

Kara took a few steps closer. Her eyes were fiery, darker than they had been before, filled with the same rage that permeated her voice. “Who’s this?” She pointed to Jane.

“This? Uh… this is…” She stuttered, unsure where Kara was going with all that and a little shaken by the sudden change in her.

“What the fuck, Lena! You said you were working late today!” Kara’s face was splashed with betrayal and her voice cracked a little, going from rage to hurt.

“You have a girlfriend?” Jane’s eyes darted between the two of them.

“I…” was all Lena managed to say before being cut off by Kara, who was now staring at Jane dead in the eyes.

“Yes. She does. She may not _act_ like it sometimes, but she does.” There was a bite to her voice, the way she said it. Somehow it made Lena feel bad even though she knew it was all an act.

Jane widened her eyes at Lena and opened her mouth to say something, but Kara spoke before she had the chance.

“Let’s go, babe. We need to talk.” She took a few steps towards the exit and stopped to wait for Lena, still glaring at her with bitter eyes.

“I’m so sorry about this.” Lena said to Jane before following Kara out.

Poor Jane. Lena felt bad for ditching, but it wasn’t going to work and she knew it. She was bored out of her mind in there. Kara was a surprise, though. The shift in her posture was almost disturbing. She had gone from sweet to angry to hurt to sweet again just like that.

Kara’s eyes were back to normal now, lit up by the shadow of a smile that lingered on her lips. Lena watched her as they walked in silence, she couldn’t help it. It was like Kara was a gravitational force that pulled her in no matter what; she couldn’t keep her eyes off of her. She wondered if everyone felt the same or if she was just being stupid.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Kara broke the silence once they were a few blocks away. “You just sat there saying nothing.”

“Yeah, well, you caught me by surprise back there.”

“You’re the one who asked me to bust you out. You never actually said how I was supposed to do that, so I improvised.” Kara smiled and stopped in front of a cute little ice cream shop.

“I thought you were gonna fake a medical emergency or something. I was _not_ expecting you to pretend to be my girlfriend. And I definitely didn’t expect you to be that good at it. You almost fooled me and I knew you were faking it.” Lena truly was amazed by the whole thing.

“I just thought: why not have a little fun with it?” Kara looked quite proud of herself for making a scene. She looked into the store, pensively. “Do you want to get some ice cream?”

“I’d love to.” She definitely did want to. She wanted any excuse to spend as much time with Kara as possible.

Kara was easy to be around. Her smooth talk and killer looks were nothing compared to her ability to look deep inside your soul and make you feel like you were the only thing in the world that mattered. As if Lena needed any more incentive to be attracted to her.

“Since I kind of saved you tonight, I feel like I deserve to know why.” Kara looked at Lena with curious yet teasing eyes and rested her chin on her hand.

“My friend Sam made me go on a blind date even though I hate those sorts of things.” She fixed her gaze on the ice cream between them. “So it was a terrible idea to begin with and when I got there, all the lady could talk about was lava. I tried to change the subject several times but somehow she always brought it back to lava. I was losing my mind back there and when I saw you I didn’t even think. I just had to try something.”

“You could’ve just left, you know.” Kara laughed.

“I didn’t want to be rude.” She pouted.

“Oh, yeah. Having someone pretend to be your jealous girlfriend causing a scene is way better. Although I do admire the flair.”

“Again, I did not think that was what you were gonna do.” She chuckled, meeting Kara’s eyes once more. She could look into them all night long, and she maybe would have, if her phone hadn’t rung.

“Everything okay?” Kara asked when she noticed Lena frowning.

“It’s my friend Sam.” She sighed. “She’s probably calling to scold me for ditching. I’ll never hear the end of this.”

“Then don’t answer it.”

“That’s probably best.” She nodded. The last thing she needed right now was to waste her time with Kara listening to Sam’s scolding.

Lena didn’t notice time passing by as she sat there getting to know Kara. It didn’t feel like that’s what they were doing. It felt as though they had known each other for years. She felt comfortable, warm, happy, and completely present in the moment - all things she wasn’t used to feeling very often.

It was like a spell was broken and the real world came dashing in when Kara’s attention was caught by an incessant buzz. The light in her eyes vanished and she stiffened her posture, looking around the place after checking her phone. When her eyes landed on Lena, a stern expression covered her face.

“I have to go now. This was nice.” Kara stood up, leaving Lena alone and confused.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena is a gay disaster

Lena wondered why Kara left so abruptly. Was it something she did? She couldn’t remember doing anything upsetting. No. It was after her phone started to buzz. Something must have happened that she had just gotten news about. Hopefully it wasn’t too bad.

She didn’t like not knowing things, but there was nothing she could do about it. Being left alone in the ice cream shop, all she could do was walk back to her car and drive home, where she could find something to occupy her mind.

What she didn’t expect was to find Sam sitting on the couch with a scowl when she walked in.

“What the fuck, Lena.”

“Hello to you too.” She took off her boots and took a few slow steps towards the couch. Just walking in was a bit dramatic for the situation. “I gave you the key for emergencies. You could’ve just waited for me at your apartment. You can see me coming if the door is open.”

“Don’t try to distract me.” Sam scoffed and started to walk towards Lena. “Why didn’t you tell me? I tell you everything.”

“I told you I didn’t want to go on a date with some random girl.”

“I’m not talking about Jane.” Sam crossed her arms. Lena hadn’t seen her that upset in years.

“Then what _are_ you talking about?” She loved Sam, but patience was not one of her virtues.

Patience wasn’t one of Sam’s virtues either and right then she seemed to have lost every last ounce that she had left, because Lena blinked and suddenly she had been tackled onto the carpet.

“Get off of me!” Screaming was pointless, but she did it anyway.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Kara Danvers?”

Lena stopped fighting her. So that’s what it was all about. “I’m not. Where did you get that idea?”

“Jane called asking why I’d set her up with someone taken. That alone confused the shit out of me.” Sam removed her elbow from Lena’s ribs, but still kept her pinned to the ground. “Then I opened twitter to find pictures of Kara Danvers and mystery girl walking the streets and eating ice cream. There was also something about her making a scene at a restaurant. Imagine my face when I recognized the mystery girl.”

Oh shit. She hadn’t thought about that. Of course people would’ve taken pictures of Kara. That’s probably why she left.

“Well? Aren’t you gonna say anything?” Sam raised her eyebrows.

“We’re not dating, now get off me!” She said, kicking her way into freedom.

“Then what? I’m expecting full disclosure.” Sam sat on the couch and crossed her arms, making sure Lena knew she wouldn’t move until she got a satisfying answer.

She told her a short version of the story, leaving out how special Kara had made her feel, how she smelled, how amazing she looked all the time.

“So, let me get this straight. You were bored at your date and your idea of handling it was to ask THE Kara Danvers to pretend to be your girlfriend and she said yes? Just like that?” Sam couldn’t believe her own words.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Hell, even I think it’s crazy and I was there the entire time.”

“And we saw each other every day this week but you didn’t think to tell me that the woman you were talking to that day at the bar was Kara Danvers?” Now he was back to the Sam Lena was used to. Scolding her, but with a heart full of love.

“I knew you were gonna freak out that I hadn’t mentioned anything at the bar so you could take a look.” Her face was met with a pillow. “What the hell was that for?” She tried to throw it back, but Sam was faster and managed to kick it into the wall.

“First of all: I’m not that petty.” Sam started to count on her fingers. “Second of all: you have to tell me everything. We promised we would.”

“Fine, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” She hadn’t meant not to tell Sam, she just didn’t think it mattered. Either way, it was best to just agree and move on.

“It better not.”

Looking to clear the air, she got up and headed to the kitchen. “I’m gonna make pasta. Are you hungry?” Who cares that she already had ice cream? The order in which food was meant to be eaten was made up anyway.

“Always.” No comeback. Things should be settled for now.

~

The coffee shop around the corner from the hospital wasn’t the best, but it was pretty great. A wide selection of all things coffee and baked goods. Going there was a nice break from the hospital cafeteria.

Lena ordered her usual: two doughnuts, a caramel Frappuccino and a cold brew coffee. It was actually Sam’s turn to go get coffee, but something in the back of her mind was telling her she should be the one to go that day.

She was leaning against the counter, waiting for her order and absentmindedly scrolling down her Instagram feed, when she felt a presence by her side, someone standing way too close for comfort. She looked up, prepared to whoop some ass, and recognized the person – a tall blonde wearing sunglasses and a hat. She could stand as close as she wanted, as far as Lena was concerned.

“Hiding from the cameras?” She pointed to the enormous sunglasses.

“Something like that. Have you been stalking me? We just seem to keep running into each other.” Kara gave her that megawatt smile and Lena’s day suddenly got a whole lot better.

“If anything, you’re the one stalking me. You know I work just around the corner.” She pretended to be offended, but couldn’t help the smile creeping up on her face.

“It’s not my fault they have the best bagels in the city.”

“Not true. Everyone knows Claire’s makes those.” She didn’t mean to give Kara a hard time, but it was better than saying what was actually on her mind.

“Fine, I may have been hoping to run into a certain dark-haired superhero doctor. Have you seen her?” Kara pretended to look around before letting a smile light up her face again.

“Ha Ha. Very funny.” _Smooth, Luthor. Being sarcastic to cover up the fact that you hope it’s true. Idiot._ She looked at Kara, hoping she would say something else before Lena ruined everything.

“Sorry for the way I left the other day.” Kara’s eyebrows were slightly scrunched and the smile had faded into a serious look. “I got a text saying someone was taking pictures and posting them and this sort of thing tends to really get under my skin sometimes.”

“It’s totally fine. I figured it must’ve been something like that when Sam showed me the pictures.” So she was right. Good. She didn’t screw things up.

“Sam?”

“The friend who sent me on the blind date.” Shit. They just entered small talk land. Lena hated small talk.

“Oh. Was she pissed about you ditching?”

“Not really. She was more pissed about the pictures.” Too far, now she would have to explain. This could be disastrous. “She thought I was dating you and hiding it from her.” Fuck.

“What did you tell her?” Kara raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth curling up in a cocky grin.

“The truth. After she literally tackled me and pinned me to the ground to make me talk.” She broke eye contact to pick up her order from the counter.

“Wow. Tough love.” That beautiful, stupid smile was back on Kara’s face, making Lena wish she could stay there all day, saying dumb shit just to see her laugh.

“I have to go back to work.” Stupid work. “See you around.” She winked and started to move towards the exit.

“See ya, doc.”

She wanted more time with Kara, just stay there and listen to her talk all day, with that beautiful smile that could convince you of anything. She actually could have stayed a little longer, but it was probably best to leave before she said anything stupid.

She did that a lot – run from a situation for being afraid to ruin it. She didn’t even know if she would say something dumb because she never stuck around long enough to find out.

Sam was waiting for her on their bench, in an open area behind the hospital where they would go on their breaks. Since Lena wasn’t gonna talk to Kara, she was gonna talk about her.

“Guess who I just ran into.”

“I don’t care unless you brought me my doughnut.” Sam said, without looking up from her phone.

“What am I, a monster?” She opened the pastry bag and sat on the bench. “And trust me, you’re gonna care.”

“Holy shit. Was it Kara Danvers? I’m gonna be disappointed if it wasn’t Kara Danvers.” Sam quickly put her phone down and looked at Lena with wide eyes, waiting for confirmation while shoving half a doughnut into her mouth.

Lena didn’t answer the question, simply raising an eyebrow and flashing half a smile. It was enough to send Sam into obsession mode.

“Holy fuck! Tell me everything.” Sam drank all of her coffee in a single gulp – as if she needed any more energy. “What did she say? What did you say? Was she gorgeous?”

“How old are you? Thirteen? Go eat your doughnut, I have a surgery.”

As much as she did want to talk about Kara, Lena felt that maybe it would be better to keep things to herself and not make a big deal out of something that could just be nothing. Still, she couldn’t help but dwell in the idea that maybe, just maybe, Kara had indeed gone to that specific coffee shop in hopes of running into her.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena runs into Kara at the bar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So things are getting ......... interesting

Friday night was a special night. Not because Fridays are the first day of the weekend. This Friday was Championship day; the last game of the season. It was an extra reason to go out and drink.

Lena and Sam rushed out of the hospital, literally running in an attempt to get to the bar before the start of the game, but lucky as they were, they missed the first few minutes and, with them, the first goal.

“How the fuck did they already score?” Sam screeched, irritated that she missed it. “I wanna get hammered tonight. Let’s play a drinking game.”

Lena looked around and everyone in the group had worried, yet amused, looks on their faces. They probably expected something like this. Sam loved drinking games and there was no better moment to play them than watching decisive games at the bar.

“It’s gonna be fine.” Sam said when she noticed everyone’s faces. “We drink once for every foul, twice for every goal, and if the Lionesses win we do tequila shots!”

“Someone has to stop her or we’re all gonna die tonight.” Andrea said to Lena. Andrea was a trauma surgeon at the hospital. She was the mom of the friend group, always taking care of everyone and making sure the wilder ones – like Sam – didn’t make too many bad decisions.

“There is no stopping her. Let’s just hope it’s a clean game so we don’t have to drink as much.” She didn’t mind having an excuse to drink, but she wanted to calm Andrea down before she got too stressed about it.

“Have you seen who’s playing? It’s gonna be the dirtiest game of the season. We’re fucked.”

Andrea was right. The first half was filled with fouls and goals, and Sam made sure they all drank every single time. Drinking games really were great. They gave Lena’s chaotic mind something to focus on while engaging everyone in an activity that was prone to creating funny situations. They were also the easiest way to get drunk without even noticing.

Not that Lena was drunk. She was just… happier than usual. In that state, spotting Kara across the bar was just the thing to make her open up the widest smile she possibly could.

She excitedly waved at Kara, who giggled and waved back. That was encouragement enough for Lena to saunter over to where she was standing and bump their hips together.

“Do you, like, live here? I’ve been here three times and every single one of them I saw you.” Kara laughed.

“Of course not! I only come here when a game is on. Or it’s a weekend. Or I don’t have any other plans.” Okay, maybe she did low key live there.

“I’m guessing today’s a combo.” Kara seemed extremely amused by Lena’s chipper behavior.

“Yep. We’re playing a drinking game. I have to stop ordering dry martinis when we play drinking games.” That last part was supposed to be a thought, not a sentence. Oh, well.

“That’s probably a good idea. Martinis are way too strong for drinking games.” _She is so pretty._ “Are you okay? You seem a little tipsy.” Kara watched her carefully. Not the way she wanted Kara to watch her, but good enough.

“I’m fine. Match is just a bit aggressive today.” She tried to seem a tad more composed. “I have to go get another drink before second half starts. Where are you sitting?”

“Nowhere yet. My friends are running a little late.” Kara checked her phone and Lena had an idea. Well, less had an idea and more didn’t even think before speaking.

“You’re coming with me, then. But first, the bar.” She linked their arms and dragged Kara to the counter.

“I thought you said you shouldn’t order those in drinking games.” Kara commented when Lena ordered another dry martini.

“Yeah, well, when in hell, might as well hug the devil. Wait, I don’t think that one’s in English.” Stupid brain, making her look stupid in front of pretty ladies. “What about you? Shouldn’t you be drinking kale juice or whatever it is soccer players drink?”

“It’s the off season. I can let go a little once in a while.”

Right. That made sense. She should have thought about that. Stupid. Asking dumb questions and looking like an idiot in front of pretty ladies. Not just pretty ladies, the most beautiful woman on earth. Kara really was gorgeous. Maybe Lena should stop thinking about that and start acting like a human being.

After getting their drinks, she linked their arms again and introduced Kara to the group, making Andrea move so they could sit together. She tried not to make a big deal out of who Kara was, though she was sure most of her friends recognized her since they watched almost every soccer game at the bar.

“What was that for?” Lena screeched after being kicked in the shin under the table.

“What was what for?” Sam tried to act clueless, but shot Lena a mischievous look.

Somehow Sam had managed to convince Kara to play, and after her friends arrived, she convinced them too. Lena wasn’t a fan of meeting a lot of new people, but the two groups merged together perfectly.

At the sound of the final whistle, Sam raised a bottle of tequila and announced that they were doing shots.

“Oh fuck. There’s no stopping her now.” Lena said to Kara.

“Is she like on a mission or something?”

“Always. She was personally responsible for every single hangover I’ve ever had.”

Lena wasn’t really a tequila person, but it seemed to always set her to party mode. They took the shots and suddenly she felt like dancing. Without a second thought, she wrapped her hand around Kara’s wrist and guided her to the dance floor, soon followed by Sam and one of Kara’s friends – a girl whose name Lena thought started with an A.

She hadn’t thought about what dancing with Kara would be like. Being that close to her, slammed together by other people, feeling her hands on her hips, the look in her eyes that just seemed to make Lena want more. She could have stayed like that all night if a set of hands hadn’t pulled her away into the silence of the bathroom.

“What the fuck!” she tried to rid herself of the hands she now realized belonged to Sam.

“Alex and I are gonna bolt.” Sam said with a wink. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, without you here to make me keep drinking I should be fine.”

“Alright, text me when you get home. Go back to your girl.” Sam said right before opening the door and leaving Lena alone in the bathroom.

Lena looked at her reflection in the mirror and ran a hand through her hair. She looked like a mess. Maybe she should do something about that before Kara saw her in that state. At least she wasn’t wearing any makeup or it would be all smudged. No makeup. That meant she could wash her face.

The cold water on her face felt nice, but closing her eyes was a mistake. The darkness made the world spin and she started to lose her balance. She grabbed the edge of the sink, trying to ground herself while she tried to remember how to open her eyes again.

The outside noise briefly seeped into the room when the door opened, and Lena felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you okay? You just disappeared.” A soothing voice asked. Kara. She could recognize that voice anywhere.

“I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and found the strength to open her eyes and look at Kara through the mirror. “Sam pulled me in here to tell me she was leaving with Alex. I’m just drunker than I’d realized.”

“With a friend like Sam I’d be surprised if you weren’t.” Kara leaned against the wall, concern disappearing from her face. “I should warn you: if she left with Alex you won’t be hearing from her until Monday.”

“Sounds like Sam. She’s a bit of a player.”

“Alex will have her wrapped around her finger in no time.”

“That I doubt.” She turned to look at Kara.

“Five bucks says I'm right.” Kara raised an eyebrow in a daring look.

“Deal.” She thought about going back out there, but her body wouldn’t move. “I need pasta. It’s my go-to drunk food.” She clarified when Kara shot her a confused look.

“Pasta does sound nice. Do they make it here?”

“Sadly, no. It’s also kinda late to go anywhere else.” She slumped. “I think I’m just gonna go home and make some. Wanna come?” The question left her mouth before she could think about it, but still she waited for the answer with hopeful eyes.

Kara raised an eyebrow. “I’d like that.”

Maybe inviting a woman she barely knew to her place while she was drunk wasn’t the wisest decision she ever made, but she didn’t care. It felt right - everything about Kara did. The way she protectively watched Lena while they walked the two blocks to her apartment, making sure she texted Sam her whereabouts, was incredibly heartwarming. Maybe it was because she was drunk and clearly infatuated, but she felt safe.

“Are you sure you’re okay to cook? You still seem pretty drunk.” Kara eyed the incredibly large knife Lena had picked to chop an onion.

“Please. I’m a great drunk cook.” She cooked while drunk so often it had become automatic. She would get home in the middle of the night and make food as a ritual, as if maybe cooking would prevent a hangover – which it usually did.

She could feel Kara’s eyes on her, half paying attention to whether she would hurt herself, half just following her around. Lena liked the attention. Kara had a way of making her feel special. She could talk as much or as little as she wanted and it would still be just the right amount.

“I’ll give it to you. You really are a great drunk cook.” Kara said while helping Lena clean up. “If this is you cooking drunk, I can’t wait to see what you can make sober.”

“Maybe someday I’ll make you lasagna. It’s my specialty.”

“Careful, I might take you up on that offer.”

“You should.”


	5. Chapter 5

Waking up with a dry mouth is a horrible feeling, and a very common one in Lena’s life. The feeling of desperately drinking a large glass of water and still needing more was one she knew too well.

Dammit. All the water was gone from her glass. When did she even put it on her nightstand? She couldn’t remember doing it the night before – she couldn’t remember much else either. Well, might as well think about it in the shower.

She stared at herself in the mirror. Why wasn’t she wearing pants? She usually put on pajamas before getting in bed, no matter how drunk she was, and when she didn’t she just slept in her clothes. She looked around and found her pants neatly folded on the armchair in the corner. That made even less sense. She could barely fold pants sober, let alone drunk.

Letting the hot water run down her body, Lena tried to remember as much as she could from the night before. Everything was crystal clear until the moment she took a shot of tequila – and she was pretty sure that wasn’t her last drink of the night. After that, things got blurry. Dancing. Inviting Kara over. Pasta. Talking to Kara on the couch. Waking up. Wait, something’s missing.

She should’ve had one less drink. Maybe then she would’ve been able to remember everything. She wondered what happened. Maybe Kara just left and she decided to fold her pants and go to sleep. Hopefully she didn’t say anything stupid – although that was hard to believe. Maybe they watched something or just talked. Maybe they… No. That she would remember. Right?

She plopped back on the bed after getting dressed, checking her phone for the first time that morning. 10 AM. Way too early to be up for her tastes, but that’s usually how it went after a night of heavy drinking. Sam hadn’t said anything, but Lena already expected the silence considering Alex had left with her. What she didn’t expect was a text from Kara.

_Hey. How are you doing?_

It was sweet of Kara to check up on her. A smile crept up on her face, and a dumb one at that. Idiot. She should probably stop staring at the message and write back.

_Not great. How about you?_

Who answers ‘not great’? That’s a terrible answer. Why did she say that? She always said stupid things and then freaked out about it. She should just stop saying things altogether. Another text stopped her from freaking any further.

_I’m great. I didn’t drink nearly as much as you._

_Want to go grab coffee? Might help with the headache._

Just like that, Lena stopped worrying. She couldn’t have said anything _that_ stupid if Kara wanted to hang out again.

_YES. I need coffee so badly._

After drinking yet another enormous glass of water, she changed out of her stay at home clothes and started her two-block walk to the coffee shop.

The thing about hangovers is they make it really hard to think about anything other than how terrible you feel and what you did the night before. Lena’s body was sore and her mind was on the one person who remembered the things she couldn’t - the same person she was on her way to meeting.

She stopped right in front of the door. She wasn’t sure what, but something felt strange. She was nervous about going in, seeing Kara, talking to her. It made no sense. They’d hung out before, why would this time be any different? Of course, there was the fact that it was the first time they’d actually planned on it. Maybe Kara would realize she didn’t want to hang out with an idiot. Or Lena would try so hard not to seem like an idiot she would end up screwing things up anyway.

She wanted to leave and avoid either option, but that would just seal her fate. Instead, she took one step after the other until she found Kara sitting in the corner at a table for two.

The sight of those beautiful blue eyes was enough put her mind to rest. How could she even think of walking away from them? Now that they were looking at her, attached to the most radiant smile Lena had ever seen, all she wanted to do was get closer and stay there as long as she could.

Sitting on the empty chair across from Kara - who had already ordered two coffees, it was as if not a single anxious thought had ever crossed her mind. Lena felt calm and safe, like nothing could bother her. That is, until the scalding liquid burned its way down her throat.

“Fucking shit.” Not the classiest reaction, but when you’re so desperate for caffeine you forget you can get hurt, you’re bound to curse a little.

“Someone woke up in a good mood.” Kara teased.

“Sorry, I’m not a morning person. Also, I blame the tequila.”

“Sure. The tequila. Not the I-don’t-even-know-how-many martinis you had before that.”

“Exactly.” Lena said with a strong nod before taking a careful sip from her cup.

They fell silent for a moment. Lena was not much of a conversation starter and, as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Lucky for her, Kara seemed to think of something.

“So, pre-season starts this week.”

“Oh, yeah!” That was good. Soccer was something she could talk about. “Your home opener is on Saturday, right?”

“Yeah. You should come. Maybe I’ll even score something for you.” Kara said with warm, expecting eyes.

“I’d love to.” She had planned to watch it with Sam while eating all the junk food they could possibly handle, but this was so much better. “I guess this means no more bars for a while, huh.”

“We’re going to have to get a little more creative.”

“I still owe you lasagna. We can start there.” How she had gone from stressing over getting coffee together to making plans to meet at least twice more in the future was beyond her understanding.

“You remember that? I wasn’t sure if you were serious. I definitely didn’t think you’d remember it.”

“To be honest, I don’t remember much after that, but I’m always serious about food.”

“So you _don’t_ remember… never mind.” Kara gave Lena an intense look and smirked.

“Oh, fuck. What did I do now?” Of course she did something stupid. That’s what happens when you get drunk off your ass and don’t remember things.

“Nothing.” Kara’s smirk turned into a grin and she leaned back against her chair. “I’m just messing with you.”

“For fuck’s sake! I thought I did something stupid or embarrassing. Drunk me does that a lot.”

“Don’t worry. You just passed out on the couch, so I carried you to bed.” Kara shrugged and tried to hide a smile.

Lena froze for a second. That was worse than she expected. At least she didn’t get sick or anything. “Fuck. I’m so sorry about that.” She buried her face in her palms in an attempt to hide from her shame, but was stopped by a set of hands on her wrists. She opened her eyes and spread her fingers just enough so she could see Kara through the openings.

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad. I’m sure you’ve done worse – I know I have.” She pried Lena’s hands away from her face and gave her a soft smile.

“I have, but I didn’t think you’d have to carry me to bed the first time we went drinking together.” Showing Kara what a mess she was had not been something she intended to do. Ever.

“Yeah, but what are friends for if not witnessing your drunk disasters?”

Friends. They were friends now. That wasn’t so bad. _Friends_.

“Pretending they didn’t see your drunk disasters.” Maybe she could charm her way out of being embarrassed.

“No, we’re for making sure you never forget them.”

“You’re gonna regret that.”

“I might. But at least I walked to bed last night.”

~

Monday morning Lena got to the hospital and immediately found Sam, curious about her weekend-long _rendez-vous_ with Alex. Sam, of course, spared no detail, making sure to share more details than Lena would’ve liked to know.

“Holy fucking shit, you have no idea, she’s, like, amazing. I think I'm in love. Is it too early to be in love? Cause I think I am.” She rambled on an on, clearly struck by the woman. “We’re seeing each other again tonight. I know I saw her yesterday, but I already miss her.”

“Sam Jacobs, of all people, acting all love-struck. Huh.”

“What can I say? I met the love of my life and I won’t be quiet about it.”

“Dammit. Now I owe Kara five bucks.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Sam crossed her arms and shifted from daydream to defensive mode.

“She bet me five bucks that Alex would have you wrapped around her finger in no time. So thanks for nothing.”

“Asshat! I can’t believe this.” Sam said, pinching Lena’s arm. “But speaking of Kara, it was about time you two fucked already.”

“We didn’t.”

“Yeah, right.” Sam scoffed. “Then who went to your place after the bar?”

“Kara. But we just ate pasta.” She shrugged.

Sam knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. “Is pasta a new code for pussy I’m not aware of?”

“No, we made actual pasta and just talked.” Why did Sam’s head always go to the dirtiest interpretation of things?

“What else?” Sam squinted her eyes and took a step closer.

“Nothing. Then she left.”

Sam put her hands on Lena’s shoulders and tilted her head to the side, trying to read Lena’s thoughts. “What are you hiding? I know you and you look almost embarrassed.”

“Well, there was this incident I don’t exactly remember…” she trailed off, trying to release herself from Sam’s grasp.

“I knew it. You totally fucked.”

“No, but apparently I was so drunk she carried me to bed and took off my jeans so I could sleep.” She blurted out, trying to speak as unclearly as possible so Sam wouldn’t understand.

Sam busted a loud laughter and cupped Lena’s face between her hands. “You, my dear, are a disaster.” After letting go, she grabbed her charts and started to walk away. She turned her head to day “That’s one way of getting into a girl’s pants” and sped down the hallway before Lena could answer.


End file.
